He played in 169 games over 15 seasons, threw 232 touchdown passes, and for 33,124 yards -- nearly all of it for one team. The Salt Lake City native was the No. 1 overall pick, was selected to seven Pro Bowls, won three Super Bowls and two league MVP awards.

Steve Young is the only left-handed quarterback enshrined in Canton; he also has a plaque in the College Football Hall of Fame.

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But before that, he was Joe Montana's backup, traded for two draft picks, in 1987, and kept on the sidelines while Montana, San Francisco's quarterback before he was San Francisco's quarterback, won two more Super Bowls. Montana and Young were two sides of a coin, ferocious in their competitiveness but disparate in their demeanor to the point of nausea. As Adam Lazarus wrote in his book, "Best of Rivals," the variance manifested everywhere, down to the vehicles they drove (a Ferrari for Montana, a 1965 Oldmobile Cutlass for Young).

"It was my job that I felt I had to make sure they stayed over there watching me as long as possible," Montana said, in 2013. "But it's a competitive relationship ... I didn't feel bad for him."

More than two decades later, by all accounts, Young is one of the most prolific quarterbacks of all time. Football lore is steeped in his accomplishments, highlight reels are filled with footage of his plays. He wasn't invincible -- he was sacked 358 times over his career, which ranks 21st all-time -- and perhaps that amplified his transcendent work on the field. He wasn't the prototypical athlete, he was Steve, who just happened to be quite good at football.

An ebullient Steve joined KETV's Josh Planos via phone from a New York City studio recently. Following is the condensed question-and-answer portion of their conversation.

JP: After Week 1, who is a team you think has a shot to make the Super Bowl and who is a team you were most surprised with?

SY: I think Green Bay showed that even without Jordy Nelson they’re still pretty tough. And I think Aaron Rodgers is the guy to beat in the NFC to get to the Super Bowl.

The surprise for me was the Kansas City Chiefs. If you remember, last year they couldn’t complete a touchdown pass to a receiver. They were explosive, especially early in the game — creating turnovers and then capitalizing and scoring a bunch of points. I’m really interested in tonight’s game against Denver if they will remain as explosive as they were offensively. That defense is great. That’d be one of my surprise teams.

JP: What did you think of Marcus Mariota’s first week in the NFL?

SY: Spectacular first week for Marcus Mariota. You can’t ask for more. I was shocked when a rookie quarterback does that. I can’t imagine him keeping up that pace, but he showed a tremendous ability to just kind of come out of his fakes, throw the ball really crisp, don’t make big mistakes -- you have to love what you saw from Marcus Mariota.

JP: With Terrell Owens being a first-year Hall of Fame nominee, can you talk about what he provided both as a player and teammate when you were together in San Francisco?

SY: When he and I were together, it was early in his career, he was phenomenal in the locker room. He called me “sir.” You know, “Please don’t forget about me, sir.” And I’m like, “Look, my name’s Steve.” He was just that kind of a guy and you could see the physical nature, he was a beast. He’d say, “I hope you throw me the ball.” And I’m like, “Bro, you’re the biggest, strongest guy out there. You’re going to get the football.” It’s amazing what he accomplished. Despite all of the stuff you hear, the hype in the media, look at his numbers. His numbers are Hall of Fame numbers.

JP: What has it been like to watch Brigham Young University, your alma mater, this season?

SY: It’s very exciting. It’s unfortunate Taysom Hill, who I believe could have won the Heisman Trophy, got hurt. But Tanner Mangum is going to be a Heisman-type of candidate in a year or two. But right now, he’s a freshman growing quickly. What he’s done the last couple of weeks is miraculous.

JP: What has it been like to transition to broadcasting?

SY: Broadcasting to me is not nearly as easy as you’d think. Talking into a blank camera and your mind goes numb. It’s just hard. But you get used to it. It is a profession, I have to give it that. And I appreciate it; I appreciate still staying around football. That’s the biggest part of it.

But there’s no way to replicate that experience of taking all of yourself and throwing it into something like professional football and trying to be great at it. You have to leave it behind, because you’ll never find it again.

JP: What has been your fantasy football experience? Do you play?

SY: My brother runs a fantasy league in the family. So my kids, we all play together. I understand fantasy. I’ve got to tell you, right now, Aaron Rodgers can run for 50 (yards), he can throw for 350, he can throw five touchdowns.

To me, Aaron Rodgers is the fantasy king.

JP: Looking back on your retirement -- you were 38 years old when you were concussed against Arizona and retired soon after. Did concussions play a part in your decision, and if you could go back and reconsider retirement would you follow the same path?

SY: Sneaky good question, Josh.

Concussions, even at the time, were not the issue. I had some vanilla experience with it and then got better. My decision really was about going to Denver and continuing my career or not. I decided to retire a 49er.

I look back, my wife is still mad at me. Mike Shanahan, he and I were peanut butter and jelly together, man, we could do no wrong. So looking back, maybe I should’ve played another couple years in Denver, to be honest with you.